The Psychological Impact of Lockdown on Dietary Intakes: Policy Lessons for Future Crises

The COVID-19 pandemic has called on governments all over the world to impose lockdowns as a means of containing the virus’s spread, and Malaysia is not exempt from this. Lockdowns may be beneficial in reducing the number of infected people, but they have also been found to have negative consequences for people’s health. It was discovered to cause psychological and psychosocial stress, both of which were found to have a negative impact on people’s food intake and, as a result, on their overall health. The goal of this study was to look into Malaysians’ energy intake during the lockdown. The 24-hour dietary recall method was used to interview 472 respondents from 14 states in Malaysia. Findings revealed that during the lockdown period, there was a prevalence of energy overconsumption. These findings necessitate the implementation of specific health policies by the government to ensure that these dietary habits do not continue, as they may have negative health consequences in the future.